Main Story: Two weeks since the landmark agreement was announced, the new deal between Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment (CSME) and Canada Soccer continues to resonate across the Canadian soccer landscape. A day after announcing its rebrand from Canadian Soccer Business to Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment, CSME revealed it had reached an agreement with Canada Soccer on a new, 12-year relationship that “aligns financial incentives between the two parties”. The partnership adds national soccer licensing to the CSME portfolio, which already included sponsorship and media rights. The new compensation framework is built around a revenue-sharing model, supplemented by guaranteed annual minimums and two additional lump sum payments during the term. In an effort to provide greater transparency, the 31-page binding agreement between the two parties is available for viewing to the general public. The deal represents a significant step in building a more harmonious relationship between CSME and the sport’s governing body. New leaders on both sides of the table undoubtedly helped smooth the waters in the protracted proceedings. Canada Soccer General Secretary and CEO Kevin Blue has stabilized the national governing body since his appointment in 2024, and James Johnson, Group CEO, CSME, has clearly defined a new path forward for the representative agency with the vision and mission statement his group released last fall.
Less than a week after sealing the Canada Soccer agreement, CSME announced a one-year extension of a media rights deal with Concacaf to provide coverage of the region’s premier international and club competitions across Canada on OneSoccer. The extension secures broadcast rights to both men’s and women’s competitions, including the 2026 Concacaf Nations League Group Stage and quarterfinals, as well as the Concacaf W Qualifiers and the Concacaf W Championship, the region’s pathway events that determine qualification for both the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. These regional events complement the existing Canadian properties on OneSoccer, including Canada Soccer National Team matches and the CPL, as well as recent acquisitions such as the Bundesliga and the NWSL. This latest acquisition highlights the fundamental change to the scope of the activity CSME engages in.
“We focus very heavily in the media space,” said Johnson, to host Andi Petrillo in a recent interview aired on OneSoccer. “We’ve got lots of ideas and plans to acquire new rights going forward. We’re storytellers so the new name better reflects the kind of business we are today.”
Johnson also revealed in that interview that the name change is simply the first of a series of decisions that will ultimately transform the sport in Canada.
Collectively, all of these initiatives are positive developments in the continuing evolution of the sport in this country as we look toward this summer’s World Cup and the resulting legacies that event will leave behind for the national soccer ecosystem to integrate and elaborate on going forward.
Market: Toronto FC have confirmed the signing of 26-year-old American forward Josh Sargent from EFL Championship side Norwich City for an initial transfer fee of $22M (US), one of the largest in MLS history, with add-ons that could propel that deal to an unprecedented $27M (US). Sargent has agreed to a 5-year contract with TFC. The transaction will also benefit league rival St. Louis City SC in a unique compensatory move that dates back three years.
Moment: After completing a permanent move to Serie “A” side Sassuolo on the eve of the January transfer deadline, Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone is having a moment at his new club, contributing to the Emilian team’s surge up the standings, and he credits his rediscovered confidence to a club executive.
Money: Sports business sites Sportico and Forbes both released their MLS valuations ahead of the league’s kickoff to the 2026 season and, though dollar amounts varied slightly, they each listed CF Montreal and Vancouver Whitecaps as the least and second-least valuable clubs, respectively. Both sites also listed Toronto FC in the middle of the pack, almost in line with the average club valuation of $731M, according to Forbes.
Media: As FC Supra du Quebec continue their pre-season in advance of their debut campaign in the Canadian Premier League, the club is drawing international attention, with a BBC Sport report comparing their Quebec-first recruiting policy to that of La Liga side Athletic Bilbao, who favour the recruitment of players from the immediate Basque region.
Milestone: Prior to the start of the 2026 MLS season, The Athletic soccer staff ranked the 30 MLS Cup champions in league history. Judged by their success in the regular season and playoff performances, as well as strength of roster and squad performance, The Athletic selected Toronto FC’s 2017 championship as the best of all time. The key to their success, according to the digital publication, was hitting on all three of their DP’s, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco, who collectively led TFC to the league’s first domestic treble.
Merchandise: Although kit reveals for CPL club Inter Toronto and MLS side Toronto FC were announced a week apart last month, they released strikingly similar uniforms.
Miscellaneous: In the second of a series of thoughtful and provocative LinkedIn articles, James Easton, the former VP and co-Founder of the CPL, and ex-professional soccer player, reflects on the similarities between the progress of North American soccer and an iconic scene from a Monty Python film.
Meetings: Canada is off to a flying start at the Men’s U20 Concacaf qualifiers in Managua, Nicaragua. After rampaging over US Virgin Islands 14-0 in the tournament opener Thursday, Canada faced Martinique in the second group stage match Saturday. Canada’s next opponents in Group F are Aruba on Monday and the host nation Nicaragua on Wednesday. Group winners advance to the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship this summer, joining the six top-ranked nations that are pre-qualified directly to the tournament. The Championship will determine Concacaf’s entrants for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan & Uzbekistan, as well as the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Matchups: In the week ahead, the CanWNT will face bitter rival USA on Wednesday in Columbus, OH. It’s Canada’s second match at the annual SheBelieves Cup, after today’s tournament opener with Colombia in Nashville. It marks the 68th matchup in a rivalry that dates back to 1986. Canada is looking for its first win on American soil since November 2000. The match kicks off at 6:45pm (ET) and can be seen live on TSN and OneSoccer.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles FC will look to continue its hot start to the 2026 season when it plays host to FC Dallas at BMO Stadium on Saturday. LAFC won its MLS season opener in convincing fashion with a 3-0 defeat of Inter Miami before a visit to Houston yesterday. In the week before and the week after the start of its MLS campaign, LAFC dispatched Honduran club Real España from the Concacaf Champions Cup, on a 7-1 two-leg aggregate score, setting up a date with Costa Rican outfit LD Alajuelense in the next round. Canadian international midfielders Stephen Eustaquio and Mathieu Choiniere have been vital cogs in the LAFC lineup for Canadian manager, Marc dos Santos, in his first season as the club’s head coach. The match vs FC Dallas kicks off at 10:30pm (ET) and can be seen live on Apple TV.
Mic’d Up: “It’s the first time I’ve actually been free. Starting in the CPL, even at that point, I was never a free agent per se. It’s been nice being able to choose but also a bit nerve-wracking since you don’t know exactly where you’re going to be or what’s going to happen. But St Louis has been amazing, the club, the staff, the city. It’s been a breath of fresh air.” – Canadian international defender Lukas McNaughton, speaking on the OneSoccer Direct podcast, on signing a free agent deal with MLS club St. Louis City SC this season.
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